Photos posted by Zamboanga City Hall on its Facebook page show the conflagration in Campo Islam in the village of Lower Calarian (see Google map) on June 4, 2014). And two more photos by Ely Dumaboc.
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 4, 2014) – More than 300 houses were burned late Wednesday after a huge fire swept through a Muslim neighborhood in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said the conflagration broke out during a power outage in Campo Islam in the seaside Lower Calarian, but the cause of the fire is still unknown.
The fire, which broke out before 7 p.m., lasted for hours and fire fighters had difficulty in controlling the blaze because of the narrow passages in the area.
Village officials estimated the number of houses in the area to be between 300 to 400, but initial reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection said over 100 houses were burned and the damaged to property was more than P3 million.
Residents, who lost their homes, took shelter in safer areas while the others sought refuge in nearby John Spirig Elementary School.
There was no immediate report of casualties, but many people were hurt in the stampede that erupted in the village after the fire razed wooden houses in alleys. One fire fighter Edward Natividad was also injured in the blaze.
Residents tried to protect their houses from the fire by dousing water, but they were no match to the blaze that quickly spread in the neighborhood near a huge oil mill owned by the International Copra Corporation.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar rushed to the area to see the plight of the victims and ordered social workers to attend to the residents with her leading the relief operations. City Hall also put out pictures on its official Facebook page showing the conflagration.
The local police chief, Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro, was also in the village supervising the security in the area. (With a report from Ely Dumaboc)
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